Top-bearing detachable caster.



A. B. mss.

TOP BEARING DETACHABLE CASTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I0. 1916.

Patented oct.. 24, Y1916.

AHORA/Er ALBERT E. Diss, 0E NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

TOP-BEARING DETACHABLE CASTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oct. 24., 191e.

Application led March` 10, 1916. Serial No. 83,222.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT B. Diss, a'citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the'A county of `Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Top-Bearing De? tachable Casters, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to furniture casters of the type -in'which the weight to bev supported is borne by the top of the pintle which frictionally engages a bearing surface formed at the top ofthe sleeve through which the pintle extends.

My invention relates 'particularly to improvements in such constructions, whereby various advantages are secured, including an improved top bearing for the pintle, means whereby the caster may be detachably se-Y cured to the furniture leg to be supported, and tothe provision of a leg mount or supporting plate so formed as to provide a sliding shoe for the furniture leg when the caster wheel and pintle are not in place.

In my preferredv constructions, the legsupporting plate comprises a disk having either an upturned peripheral iange, adapted to it about and protect the bottom of a tubular leg, or having upturned projections adapted to fit within the bottom of the leg.

. A sleeve extends upwardly from the central opening of the leg-supporting plate, and is closed at the top to form a top pintle' bearing. A spring frame -is used, having a transverse portion secured across the top of the sleeve, and having depending arms adapted to resiliently engage within the leg. These arms may extend within the marginal ange or upturned projections of the disk, when the device is not positioned vin a leg, to prevent them from being bent too fark outwardly. The sleeve which I prefer to use is so formed as to have two portions extending across the top, one lying upon and crossing the other at an angle, which can be accomplished by making the sleeve of a pair of metal strips bent to inverted U-shape and placed at right angles to each other, with the top portion of one strip overlying the'other. The double thickness of metal thus formed at the top of the sleeve enables me readily to spot-weld or rivet the spring frame to the same, this resulting in an exceedingly rigid top bearing andan inexpensive but, effective construction. The pintle carrying the jourlnaled caster wheel is adapted to extend upwardly through the sleeve into contact with the bearing formed at the top of the sleeve. The leg-support isusually provided on its lower side with av downwardly curved sur,

face or surfaces adapted to slidingly support the construction when the same Vis mounted on the bottom of a leg, but the pintle and caster wheel are not in place.

As a modification of the structure first referred to, the ange or upturned projections of the leg-supporting disk may beV omitted,

in which case the spring frame will have a somewhat different construction.

In order that a clearer understanding of my invention may be had, attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application and illusrating certainV embodiments yof my invenion.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved caster applied to a tubular leg shown in section, Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, the leg not being shown, Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3 3 of Fig. E2, the leg, however, being shown, Fig. 4 isa view similar to Fig. 1,

showing the construction when the pintle and caster wheel are detached, Fig. 5 isa vertical section, similar tovFvig. 3of-a modified construction, the sleeve being shown in side elevation, Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a view similar toA Fig. 3, showing -a further f modifiedrconstruction.

Referring to the drawings, the leg-supporting plate or disk 1 may be provided with an upturned peripheral flange 2 (see Figs. l to 4), within which the tubular leg 3 to be supported is mounted, the lower end of the leg ttingslidingly within flange 2. The sleeve 4 extends upwardly from the central openingin disk 1, thespring frame 5 being secured to sleeveJ 4 aty the upper end of the latter. The pintle 6 extends upwardly through the central opening in diskV l and. through the sleeve .4 into contact with the metal extending across the top of the sleeve.

The caster wheel 'Tis journaled within the portion 11 of strip 11. rlhe depending portions of the strips are bent into -tubular form, preferably with their Vadjacent edges abutting. The sleeve is rigidly secured to the leg-supporting disk 1 by crimping the lower ends of the strips forming the sleeve with pressed-in portions 14, to form inwardly projecting ridges or shoulders which are adapted to extend beneath an enlarged head 15k at the upper end of pintle 6. When the pintle is pressed into the sleeve, strips 10 and -11 flex outwardly to permit the head 15 to pass shoulders 14, the sleeve then springing back into position. When so mounted, the top surface ofthe pintle rests in *frictional' contact with the transverse strip 11 at the top 'of the sleeve, the pintle being vvmounted to rotate freely within the sleeve. The pintle is centered withinjthe sleeve by means vof the head 15 at the upper end of thepintle, and acurved enlargement 1'6 which preferably 'is formed at thel lower end of the pintle,journaled "within the lower portion of the Asleeve which extendsthrough the-leg-'supporting disk.

,The springframebl preferably comprises a transverse portion 17 and a pair of dependingspring arms 18, the lower ends of which extend vwithin 4the upturned -ilange 2 of the leg mount. vWhen thev leg mount or supporting disk is slipped onto the lower end of a tubular leg, the spring arms 1S of frame '5 engage within the legto frictionally hold the leg mount vand attached parts in place. The 'transverse portion 17 of the vspri1 1gframe may be riveted or otherwise securedto the top members of the-sleeve. I prefer,however, tospot-weld the transverse portion ofthe spring frame'to the top membersof the sleeve which `may readily be accomplished because of the thickness of metal Vp'rovided'by the ltw'o crossed-strips '10 and 11". With this construction it ywillbe noted, the top bearing consists of three layers of sheet-metal secured ftogether, the bearing thus being sufficiently strong and rigid to beara-considerable weight even though the different-strips Vare made of quite thin material. Y

i The 'leg-supporting' disk 1 `is f,provided on its under surface with an arched portion or portions adapted to slidingly bear the weight lof the -furniture when the caster wheeland `pintle are not in place. As illustrated, this may comprisea ydownwardly curved circular ridge ,.19 surrounding the central opening .of disk 1. Disk 1 `may be provided with other strengthening corrugacasterv wheels and pintles of standard or stock construction may be used, it only being necessary that the pintles of the same be of the proper size.

The construction shown in Figs. 5 and G is the same as that described above, except that the leg-supporting disk 1 does not have rthe peripheral flange 2 surrounding the lower end of the leg, but instead has a `plurality, four being illustrated, of upwardly bent projections 2. These projections may be small ears integral with disk 1 formed by necking the periphery of the disk and bending the ears upward, at points inward from thegperipheryof the disk, a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the wall of the leg, so that ears 9. slidingly engage the inner surfaces of the leg at spaced intervals. The spring frame and the other parts are=or may be the same as'before, disk 1 being shownwith an annular bearing surface 19. The pintle and caster wheel are not shown in these figures. The ears 2 in Figs. 5 and 6 perform the same functions as does flange 2 in Figs. 1 to 4, namely to limit the outward movement of spring arms 18 when the device is not `mounted in a. leg, and to ycenter the device with relation to the leg when it is mounted therein. A pair of the ears 2 are located in line with arms 18, the arms extending `within and abutting against these ears when the device is vnot mounted in a leg. Ears 2 fit snugly within the leg, when the spring frame is pressed therein, so that not only is the `deviceheld resiliently inthe leg,`by arms 18, but also positive abutments are provided on the disk, to cause the device to move with the leg in all movements ofthe latter. ,The same functions are performed in the case of the outside flange l2 of Figs. 1 to 4, but an outside flange cannot always be used.

A further modified construction is shown in Fig. 7 in which the leg-supporting disk 1 is shown as not having either the upturned peripheral flange 2 or ears 2 previously described. 'In this case the construction will be 'the same as before, except that means should. beiprovided to vprevent undue compression or `outward ,bending of the Ylower ends of the `spring frame. Accordingly 'I have illustrated an inverted U-shaped spring frame, the top horizontal portion 17 of which is secured to the top of the sleeve as vided in the form described, with inwardlybent lower ends 182 and 183, which have elongated slots 20, 20 therein through which the sleeve 4L extends, these slots being long enough to prevent a certain amount of inward and outward movement to the spring frame. Such provisions are desirable when the flange 2, or ears 2', which otherwise protected the free ends of the spring frame, is omitted.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a caster,A the combination of a legsupporting plate having a central opening therethrough and having upturned marginal bearing means adapted to slidingly coact with the lower end of a hollow leg, a sleeve secured to said plate about said opening and extending upwardly therefrom, said sleeve being closed at the top to forma top pintle bearing, and a spring frame having a transverse portion secured across the top of said sleeve and having depending arms extending within andk abutting against said upturned marginal means when not positioned in a furniture leg, and adapted to frictionally engage the interior of the leg, when mounted therein, substantially as set forth.

2. In a caster, the combination of a legsupporting plate having a central opening therethrough, and an upturned marginal flange adapted to slidingly it about the lower end of the leg, a sleeve secured to said plate about said opening and extending upwardly therefrom, said sleeve being closed at the top to form a top pintle bearing, a

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. v

spring frame having a transverse portion sen cured across the top of said sleeve, and having depending arms extending within said flange and adapted to frictio-nally engage within theA furniture leg, and a pintle adapted to extend through said opening and sleeve, into contact with the closed top of said sleeve, substantially as set forth.

3. In a caster, the combination of a legsupporting plate having a central opening therethrough, a sleeve secured to said plate about said opening and extending upwardly therefrom, said sleeve having two portions extending across the top, one superposed upon and contacting the other to form a top pintle bearing, and a spring frame having a portion extending across and secured upon said top sleeve portion, and portions adapted to resiliently engage within a tubular leg, substantially as set forth.

4. In a caster, the combination of a legsupporting plate having a central opening therethrough, a sleeve secured to said plate about said opening and extending upwardly therefrom, said sleeve being formed of a plurality of spaced strips having transverse top portions, which cross and contact each other, to form a top pintle bearing having a plurality of layers, and a spring frame having a portion extending across and secured upon said top sleeve portion, and having arms at the ends of said secured portion, adapted to frictionally engage within a furniture leg, substantially'as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 8th day of March, 1916.

ALBERT B. DISS.

Witnesses DYER SMITH, I. MoIN'rosH.

Washington, D. C. 

